1. Georgia Department of Community Health
HomeTown Health Lunch & Learn
Georgia Health IT Update
August 21, 2012

2. Georgia Health Information Exchange Network
Georgia statewide HIE network is being developed to offer statewide health information exchange services hospitals and other providers can use for more efficient and coordinated care of their patients. 2

3. Georgia HIE Network What it does…
Enables providers the opportunity to securely and efficiently exchange patient health information.
Presents providers with the right information, at the right time to offer their patients the right care.
Gives consumers tools to know their health information so they can improve health. 3

4. Georgia HIE Network Services
GeorgiaDirect
In pilot phase
Patient Search
Available in 2013
Rome Challenge Grant
Demonstration project planned for late 2012 4

5. GeorgiaDirect Secure Messaging5

6. GeorgiaDirect Secure Messaging
Provides a secure way for health care providers to send authenticated, encrypted health information directly to known, trusted recipients over the Internet. 6

7. GeorgiaDirect Secure Messaging
Secure communication mechanism
Direct is a secure point-to-point communication service that allows registered providers to send structured or unstructured information to each other.
A provider directory is included to help providers find the Direct Secure Messaging address(es) for an organization or provider. 7

8. GeorgiaDirect Referral to Specialist Example
1. Provider uses EHR to initiate referral message and locate specialists
Provider’s EHR system looks up specialist practices in GA’S HIE provider directory
2. Referring provider sends referral and reference clinical documents to the specialist system
3. GA HIE Network documents access to system in audit log
Patient visits primary care provider; provider needs to refer patient to a specialist
Provider Directory
Secure Message Exchange
via Direct Project
Security Services & Authorization Framework
Transaction Audit Log & Reporting
Georgia Statewide
Health Information Exchange Network
4. Specialist receives referral request and sends response to referring physician through the GA HIE Network
5. Specialist sees patient 8

9. GeorgiaDirect Secure Messaging
Benefits of GeorgiaDirect – rely less on FAX, telephone, & mail
Referral
A General Practitioner sends an with a referral along with any necessary patient information and lab results to a Specialist
Transition of care
A Family Physician sends an with a Treatment Summary of a patient to a Hospital or Long-Term care facility when the patient is admitted.
Response to a Request from another Provider
A Cardiologist is seeing a patient and needs a more detailed history than the patient can provide–in response to the request from the Cardiologist, the Family Physician can send the history via a secure instead of via several pages of a FAX. 9

10. GeorgiaDirect Secure Messaging
GeorgiaDirect Supports Meeting Meaningful Use
Send patient referral via Direct Secure Messaging to an authorized recipient.
Forward CCDs with referrals or at transition of care.
Transmit required reports to Public Health (when available).
Satisfy patient-focused MU measures. 10

11. Patient Search Services11

12. Patient Search Service
Features
Allows clinicians to query and retrieve clinical records from participating sources for patient care and perform public health reporting.
Enables retrieval of records from multiple data sources.
The patient matching is based on patient demographics.
All patient data is kept locally within the provider's local system rather than in a centralized database.
All transactions involving the Georgia HIE network are logged in the Georgia HIE audit log. 12

13. Query-Based Exchange Patient Search Example
1. Provider uses their EHR (or GHIE web portal) to locate patient records. The provider’s system queries the Georgia HIE network.
2. Georgia HIE uses RLS to locate and retrieve information on identified patient and returns available clinical documents from within the network.
3. Georgia HIE documents access to Network in audit log.
At the Point of Care
A patient visits their primary care provider. The provider needs to locate patient’s health information.
Georgia Statewide
HIE Network
Record Locator Service
Master Patient Index
Security Services & Authorization Framework
Transaction Audit Log & Reporting
Provider Directory
Terminology Services
NwHIN Gateway
4. Provider conducts patient examination.
5. Aggregated patient health information is returned to provider and information is incorporated into the provider’s EHR. 13

14. Patient Search Service
Benefits of Patient Search
Presents providers with accurate, timely and reliable patient data at the point of care.
Provides connectivity to services within and outside of Georgia through the Nationwide Health Information Network.
Leverage existing IT investments to connect to the statewide HIE network. 14

15. Patient Search Service
Patient Search Supports Meeting Meaningful Use
Continuity of Care Documents (CCDs) available via Patient Search feature.
Allows for public health reporting.
Possible access to state data sources (as available). 15

16. Getting Connected: Georgia HIE Network16

17. Network of Networks Strategy
The Georgia HIE network connects local/regional HIEs and other Qualified Entities
Qualified Entities
Have permission to access, consume and make available HIE services on the statewide health information exchange network.
Must meet a set of established criteria, successfully completed the approval process, and signed agreements to abide by HIE Statewide Privacy & Security Policy Framework.
Must ensure that participants and vendors with which they have contracts meet the requirements to carry out statewide policies. 17

18. Network of Networks Strategy
The Georgia HIE network connects local/regional HIEs and other Qualified Entities
Role of Qualified Entities
Help organize and manage HIE Participants in the Georgia healthcare ecosystem.
Participants can be hospitals, physician practices, long-term care centers, laboratories, public health entities, and/or many other diverse members of the healthcare industry.
Participants have authorization to access the Georgia HIE network services through a Qualified Entity.
In addition to providing a conduit for the Georgia HIE services, a QE organization may choose to provide unique services to the members of their community as well. 18

19. Network of Networks Strategy
The Georgia HIE network connects local/regional HIEs and other Qualified Entities
Strategic Benefits
Leverages health information networks in existence and provides a means of making set of core and value-added services available to benefit the entirety of the Georgia healthcare ecosystem.
Operations are manageable and costs remain low.
Supports Georgia HIE and stakeholder sustainability models. GHIE supports local/regional HIEs and other QEs – it does not compete with them.
Allows the State to provide guidance on complex issues and leverage federal funding to strengthen and advance the exchange. 19

20. Be part of the Georgia HIE Network
HIE On-Boarding Information Guide (in development)
Help organizations better understand the requirements and choices available to them when electing to participate in the Georgia HIE network.
The guide will be a high level planning tool
Defines characteristics and responsibilities of Qualified Entities: community, business model, governance, and technology.
Overview of legal and technical requirements; minimum standards for each organization participating in the Georgia HIE network. 20

21. Get Engaged and Stay Informed21

22. Get Engaged & Stay Informed
Georgia HITREC, HP, and technology vendor act as the team executing marketing campaign and driving HIE/HIT awareness throughout all of Georgia. 22

23. insert Kelly Gonzalez Department of Community Health
Director, Division of Health IT
State Health IT Coordinator
Department of Community Health 23